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Love our wives is actually more demanding than the task placed upon wives to “submit” to their husbands.

The example God gives husbands to follow is simply the most courageous and sacrificial act ever done in all human history.
When Jesus died for His bride, she was dirty and sinful. She was acting like His enemy.
We are called to sacrifice our lives every day for her.
To say “no” to what we want so we can say “yes” to what she needs. That is Christlike love and leadership.

Marriage, however, is a God-ordained covenant that invites you to love an imperfect, sinful person with the love of Christ.
Because that’s how He loves you. His love finds every reason to start but finds no reason to stop.
Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God - Romans 8:38-39

Most marriage problems are usually the result of a wife’s wounded reaction to poor leadership and lack of love from her husband.
The key to loving like Jesus is to understand that we cannot do it on our own.
God loves us not because we are lovable but because He is so loving.
We disconnect from our mate’s imperfections and plug into God’s unchanging nature.
What would happen in the next year if God’s unconditional love became the foundation of your marriage?

You can be the greatest explainer of truth. But if the very heart of your son or daughter does not believe ‘my daddy loves me,’ they will walk away.
People tend to embrace the teaching and beliefs of those who love them the most.
Whoever has their heart has their ears.

Restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers - Malachi 4:6
When this doesn’t happen, fathers invite the “curse” of broken relationships into their homes

You can tell when a father doesn’t have his kids’ hearts. You sense the disrespect and anger, the bitterness and emotional distance.
The key ingredient in raising good children is to get their hearts early, keep their hearts, and be extremely vigilant not to lose your children’s hearts.

Jesus and His Father hearts were always in sync. When Jesus felt separation from the Father, it was the worst pain he could feel.
“For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing” - John 5:20

Continuing the “heart hindrances” that will push your chidren away.

6. Favoritism.
   • Less favored children become resentful.
   • It led Rachel and Leah to fight and Joseph’s brothers to hate him
7. Hypocrisy.
   • It will kill trust between you and your children
   • Identify hypocrisy in you, be quick to repent
8. Hurting their mother.
   • They will tend to take up offense for the woman who loves them
   • If you teach them to dishonor her, they will eventually dishonor you
9. Misunderstanding.
   • Is tied to kids feeling misunderstood and not listened to by their parents
   • If a matter is important to them, it should be important to you
10. Unrealistic expectations.
    • Kids will quickly be discouraged if they believe their parents have set them up to fail
    • Avoid comparing their weaknesses with another child’s strengths
    • Your child believes he can’t please you, he’ll eventually quit trying

You must keep your radar up to sense if you have your children’s hearts

Questions to continously ask:

• Have I ever wounded you and not made it right?
• Have I said one thing and done another?
• Have I made promises and not kept them?
• Is there anything you’re angry with me about? Is there anything you’re not telling me because you’re afraid?

Too many men foolishly refuse to apologize because they’re trying to save face and don’t want to look bad.

A major part of your role as a father is to disciple your kids

Discipling your kids requires discipline on our part

Discipline doesn’t feel good, nor should it - Hebrews 12:11

Discipline should be more on the father’s shoulders than the mother’s because of who we represent.

Loving discipline prepares our kids to respect and obey their heavenly Father

We had earthly fathers to discipline us, for they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good - Hebrews 12:9-10

It is the father’s job is to take the long view, not the short one.

Withheld discipline may seem momentarily pleasant to the child and the parent but it takes no skill or courage to be a passive father

Not disciplining guarantees that uncorrected sin will follow his child into adulthood and follow his family into the coming generations

Its momentary discomfort - knowing that sin will harm a child in far worse ways than even the painful discipline of a loving father.

He who loves him disciplines him promptly - Proverbs 13:24

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it - Proverbs 22:6

IT is a lie from the Enemy to believe that rebelling against and dishonoring authority brings more freedom and peace

Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord - Ephesians 6:4

His love for Rachel was so strong that 7 years seemed to him but I few days - Genesis 29:20

True love has the power to transform burdens into almost nothing

Jacob fell so deeply in love with Rachel that he would do anything to have her hand in marriage but he had nothing but time

That is what real love does

When a man genuinely loves his wife, his children, and his God - things become occasions of true joy because they benefit the one he loves

How would you describe your love for God?

Love your wives like Christ loves the church - Ephesians 5:25-26

God created man to look after his wife, to love her perfectly

Love as Jesus loved!

Want to know how to love?

• Sacrifically - gave up his life
• Selflessly - Did everything his Father sent him to do
• Patiently - Taught flawed people and asked them to follow him
• Forgivingly - He asked his Father to forgive those crucified him
• Generously - Gave us far more than we deserve

Jesus is our perfect example of love in action

You rule over everything - 1 Chronicles 29:12

David understood that although he had worked hard, God was the source of all his accomplishments

King David realized no one, whatever his station in life, ever receieves anything good apart from God

David died at a ripe old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth, and honor - 1 Chronicles 29:28

God loves hearing you declare him as your source of all good things

Allow others to see God at work in your life and open yourself to additional blessings

Moses: Lord, please! Send anyone else - Exodus 4:13

What you succeed in doing often depends on your attitude

When God first appeared to Moses, his attitude was negative and self-defeating

Instead of focusing on the awesome task before him, he focused on his human frality

i "can't" attitude can keep you from enjoying the good things God has for you

God loves it when you turn your focus toward him and away from your own fears and doubt

Is there anything too hard for you to accomplish today?

Demas has deserted me bcause he loves the things of this life - 2 Timothy 4:10

One of the devil's most powerful weapons is distraction

He uses that weapon against a once-faithful believer named Demas

Demas was a dependable partner Paul's ministry - "a coworker" - Philemon 1:24

Whatever Demas' reason for deserting Paul, he was distracted from his important work faithfully following Jesus

What distractions keep you from fully and freely serving Jesus?

It's obvious how he loves me - Song of Solomon 2:4

The Song of Solomon was thought about a man's love for his wife, not about God's love for us

Its both

Solomon beloved Shulamite and demonstrated his love in ways that everyone could see

It is also a model of how you can love others whom God has placed in your life

Love them passionately and openly so that they never have to question how much you love them

Let your wife, children, family, and friends know how much you love them and in as many ways as you can think of

That is what God has done for you

God made it obvious how much he loves you by sending his Son to die for you

While I was with you I would forget everything expcet Jesus Christ - 1 Corinthians 2:2

People who encoutered Paul understood what was most important to him: Christ sin-defeating death and grave-defeating life

He spent most of his life observing the Jewish laws and traditions but now everything was about Christ

Paul made it a point to forget everything else besides Christ:

• Impressive Education
• Impeccable religious pedigree
• Personal wisdom

Paul had more education and experiences more than anyone but chose to focus on one simple message of faith and love

Does your life convey the simple message that Jesus loves them?

I long for the years gone by when God took care of me - Job 29:2

During his worst time of misery, Job began wondering if God still cared about him

After he lost everything, Job felt abandoned and longed for the good old days

God knew exactly how much Job had suffered but Job could not feel it

Job was so focused on his suffering that he lost sight of the unchangeable fact that God would never abandon him

Feelings speak truth about your pain but can lie about God's response

God had never abandoned anyone he loves

Serve the Lord alone - choose today whom you will serve - Joshua 24:14

The greatest character qualities of any leader is the willingness to consistently "walk the walk"

Joshua had flaws but he consistently exercised his faith and obeyed the God who called him to lead

This is why he could confidently challenge his people to "choose today whom you will serve"

He dared the Israelites to rid their loves of any remnants of idol worship and to follow God wholeheartedly

Joshua consistant faithfulness helped lead his people into the Promise Land